1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a triac device and a method of driving the same, and, more particularly, to a triac which is triggered by light and a method of driving the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
L. Leipold et al., "600 V/5A FET TRIGGERED LATERAL OPTO TRIAC," IEDM 1982, pp. 261-263 discloses a light triggered triac device (hereinafter referred to as "phototriac") which has a lateral structure to have all the active regions arranged on the same major surface of a semiconductor device in a specific manner so that the triac can be triggered by light.
As this phototriac device has all the active regions arranged only on one major surface of a semiconductor chip, the current density per unit area of the chip is very small. This triac cannot therefore be used as a power controller to control a high voltage and large current.